My dad used to joke around and ask me “Wanna lose 10 pounds of ugly fat?” When I responded with a hearty “Yes!”, he would reply, “Then cut off your head.” And we would both laugh. Cutting off your head would certainly help you drop weight, but it would create other issues. As leaders, we need to take care of our bodies. When I evaluated my life after leaving the hospital four years ago, I gained a new appreciation for exercise and healthy diet. I have learned there are more effective methods to lose those extra pounds of ugly fat.

The average range for body fat is around 12% to 21%. So for a 160 pound man, he will average about 26 pounds of body fat if he is right in the middle of that range. If he is higher, say around 25% body fat, he will be carrying 40 pounds of fat!

So here are 5 ways to shed some of that extra body fat.

Go to website www.loseit.com and become familiar with your calorie intake. Enter your weight, age, how much you want to lose, and by when and it will calculate the rest. Enter in your foods and exercise each day. If you want to lose weight, you’ll have to have a lower calorie intake per day.

Don’t diet. Huh? Yes, you read that right. Don’t diet; Make a lifestyle change! Begin to watch what you eat. Little changes consistently over time will produce big results. Once I realized that I burn 150 calories with a 3 mile walk/run and a package of pop-tarts has 400 calories, it was easy to eliminate them from my diet. Plus they are empty calories and I am hungry again shortly after downing those little packages of fat.

Begin an exercise program. Start walking each day. Begin with a half mile or mile and work your way on up. Join a gym. Spinning and swimming are great ways to burn lots of calories in a short time. You may feel more tired at first but you will begin to feel much better. A good goal to shoot for would be 30 minutes 3 times a week to start and increase from there.

Know your heart. It is easy to figure your maximum heart rate. Subtract your age from 222. So for a 50-year-old person, his or her max heart rate would be 172. For a good fat burning workout, you want to avoid peaks and valleys that grab energy from anywhere in the body. Keep your heart rate at 65%-70% of your max for 30 minutes. This kind of workout will grab energy from the fat cells in the body. It is easy to figure your heart rate. Hold your two fingers over the artery just to the side of your Adams apple. Count the beats in 6 seconds and multiply by 10 (This will give you your heart rate for a minute). So for the 50-year-old whose max heart rate is 172, he will want to keep his heart rate around 120 (or 12 beats per 6 seconds) for the maximum fat burning workout out.

Eat more proteins and avoid fatty foods. You might want to avoid anything with “crunchy”, “crispy”, “creamy” or “country” in the description. Eat less breads and high carb meals; instead include more fruits and vegetables.

Admittedly, these tips sound simple. They are really not complicated to understand. The hard part is you will have some discipline to stick to it. I realize that people have different medical needs and metabolisms. It is always recommended to consult with your doctor on your specific health issues. Your personal results will vary, but these 5 tips have been proven to help others shed unwanted extra fat. If you struggle to persevere in this area, why not start today and invite a friend to join you. You will look and feel better and have more energy for life. For your specific health interests, Alltop Health has current links to all the top stories in health related issues. The Daniel Plan also has great ideas and motivation on health.

What has helped you lose extra weight and get in better shape? Please share a comment here.

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About Steve Morgan

I work in Global Leadership Development with Cru with my wife, Terry. We have been married 34 years and have 4 grown children.
I have a Masters in Global Leadership together through Azusa Pacific University.
I generally write about 5 “L’s: Living Well, Loving Deeply, Learning Continuously, Leading Courageously and Leaving a Legacy. I occasionally write about Laughing Loudly.
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Check out “THE DANIEL PLAN” Saddleback’s all-congregation year-long health plan. OUr members have lost over 250,000 POUNDS since January! I’ve lost over 40. Over 12,000 members are monitoring their health online. http://saddleback.com/thedanielplan/
Rick Warren

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